CLOSING one of Jersey’s biggest visitor attractions was an “extremely difficult and emotional decision”, the owners have said.
aMaizin! Adventure Park in St Peter will shut on 31 August 2025, with its owners Carlton and Kristina Le Feuvre planning to retire having run the attraction for a quarter of a century.
The park, which includes outdoor slides, go-karts, a goldmine, farm animals and an indoor play area, has been open since 1999, after the Le Feuvres transformed their farm into a visitor attraction.
The couple have decided not to sell the business but existing tenants will remain, a release announcing the closure stated.
Mrs Le Feuvre said: “This has been an extremely difficult and emotional decision for us to make because we have absolutely loved the journey of growing a destination for families, creating activities and experiences, and seeing our young guests grow and flourish.
“But following many discussions between Carlton, myself and our daughter Francesca, who joined the business in 2019, we now need the flexibility to have more time for ourselves and our family.
“When we started the business, our children were either in or about to start primary school. They’ve now grown up and after regularly working 60 to 70 hours, seven days a week, for more years than we can remember, the time has come for Carlton, Francesca and I to put our families first.”
She added: “We love living on the farm and have no wish to sell up and move on so have made the difficult decision to close the business in its current format.”
The business will stay open through the autumn and winter and then to the end of August 2025. The Le Feuvres said that they had no plans for a housing development on the site or to sell any land.
They added that tenants, including the K9 Wellness Centre, would remain open once the attraction closes next year, and all staff had been consulted and were being supported while the park continues to operate.
Mrs Le Feuvre said: “We’ve been fortunate to spend our days with an incredibly special team of people who have become firm friends, and we have kept our team up to date with our plans. We’ll miss that camaraderie, sense of belonging and joy of doing a job that we love. We’ve never underestimated the value of our team, or the loyalty and support from our customers.”
She added that, despite “a tough few years” for the visitor and leisure industries, the membership scheme was at its highest level since it began, and the park would close its doors as the second-largest paying attraction in Jersey.
The family are hoping that the building and land will continue to have “a community feel and use” as the property evolves in the future, and, subject to planning, they will be looking for a “less intensive use for the property”.
Mr Le Feuvre said: “We were the largest potato packing station in the west of the Island at the end of the last century, and for 24 years we have welcomed many visitors. It will be nice to see the property evolve in our retirement.”
Mrs Le Feuvre said: “We would like to say thank you to everyone who has supported us through our journey of transforming a farm into a recreation and retail business and to our amazing staff whose hard work has made all those memorable experiences possible.”
